the negotiations over the so-called fiscal cliff. former comptroller general david walker and former budget officer took a look at the prospects for a grand bargain. this just over an hour. >> you get my panel up here, going to make a few introductory remarks while they are hooking you all up. okay, today, three issues very briefly. one is the fiscal cliff, two is the debt ceiling, and, three, is the big deal that has to be on the debt and deficit. unfortunately, those issues get von -- convuluded, especially in this town. the fiscal cliff is an artificial date. congress came in, says this law expires on this date. they extended it, expires, put in the sequestering, saying it expires on this date. it is a date. all they have to do is extend the date and allow themselves the time to discuss the issues, and instead, they cram the issues in a lame duck session and letting congress that got unlighted decisions that should be made by the people who should be making the decisions. that's a problem. the fiscal cliff can have real consequenc